Free/cheap day out ideas?

[tankplanker]

The six week's holiday (more like eight nowadays) is fast approach and its time to start thinking about ideas for keeping the little darlings busy so I'm after some suggestions for cheap/free places to go that they'll like.

Places that don't charge a penny we've been to that they have liked:

RAF Cosford: www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/
British Museum: www.britishmuseum.org/
Natural History Museum: www.nhm.ac.uk/
Science Museum: www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/

Cheap Places (under a tenner):

Bletchley Park: www.bletchleypark.org.uk
Ryton Gardens: www.gardenorganic.org.uk/gardens/ryton.php

Any more?

[V8mate]

A walk in the country and a picnic.

Kids will have more fun running through ditches and bushes than anything you pay any entrance fee for.

[Eddh]

Any local castles and places like that are pretty cheap. Went to look round Raglan castle yesterday with a friend and it was £5.40 or something for the both of us, spent about 2-3 hours in there looking around and generally relaxing.

It was nice, cheap and interesting.

Kids also love castles.

[JCB123]

Went to Woodside Animal Park just off M1 J9 on Friday....it's £5/adult & £4/child.....small but perfectly formed...and you can handle the animals!

Great half day out....

[JAGS]

Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands?
Free entry and enough to do that will take up a good few hours inside.

[tankplanker]

V8mate said:

A walk in the country and a picnic.

Kids will have more fun running through ditches and bushes than anything you pay any entrance fee for.

We do that as well as we've a big water park nearby as well as several country parks, its that the weather conspires against you and it gets a bit boring after 6 weeks to be doing the same thing.

[condor]

Check for local fetes, open days, carnivals etc.
The Bedford River festival is free and takes place this coming weekend.

Buy them a butterfly net each and let them go fishing for 'whatever' in ponds/rivers/rock pools etc.

Most museums are still free entry and child friendly.
Your local tourist board should have lots of localish suggestions for you

[tankplanker]

I keep meaning to go to Raglan, I'll have to correct that this summer I think.

Mercedes-Benz World looks ace, although it might cause my son to look like he was sucking a lemon as he's a massive Ferrari F1 fan and can't stand Mclaren.

[bazking69]

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

[LuS1fer]

bazking69 said:

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

...and don't the chavs just know it.

[loltolhurst]

LuS1fer said:

bazking69 said:

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

...and don't the chavs just know it.

plenty of places still that the chavs havent found so dont let it put you off our greatest natural asset. get them a crabbing line and a net and see their delight

[SwanJack]

LuS1fer said:

bazking69 said:

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

...and don't the chavs just know it.

You need to go further West than Trecco Bay

[LuS1fer]

SwanJack said:

LuS1fer said:

bazking69 said:

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

...and don't the chavs just know it.

You need to go further West than Trecco Bay

I would but it's full of J*ck b*st*rds. Just kidding, I hate football and my ancestors are Anglo-Jack hybrids.

It is harder for the chavs to strike west without insurance these days....

[james_tigerwoods]

Cleethorpes - it's lovely

Really, it is

[bazking69]

LuS1fer said:

bazking69 said:

Beaches. Britains best free day out?

...and don't the chavs just know it.

Try harder than the tourist traps...

[lost in espace]

Horniman Museum south London, free. Plenty to do. St Albans kiddies water park, in Verillum sp Park.

[Jackleman]

Chichester Harbour, lots of nice places to see, several pretty villages, also next door to South Downs National Park - perfect for picnic!

[JCB123]

james_tigerwoods said:

Cleethorpes - it's lovely

Really, it is

Give over......lurring people to Cleethorpes by pretending it's nice....then they arrive and see you were clearly lying!

I got a book for a birthday called bks to alton towers, it's packed full of cheap, free and just down right different things to go and see......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/bks-Alton-Towers-Unco...

[tankplanker]

JCB123 said:

I got a book for a birthday called bks to alton towers, it's packed full of cheap, free and just down right different things to go and see......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/bks-Alton-Towers-Unco...

Oooh that looks good, being the tightwad that I am I found that Wikipedia lists all the attractions to save me buying it (for now): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bks_to_Alton_Tow...

[plasticpig]

Coventry Transport Museum is free: http://www.transport-museum.com/visiting/default.a...